Results of a new study published in the journal Radiology on Mar. 12, 2019 by Paul Eichinger, et al showed that the use of gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCAs) for follow-up MRIs in MS patients is no longer needed.

In this retrospective German study performed on 507 follow-up MRI images obtained in 359 patients with MS, two radiologists blinded to each other’s interpretations assessed the images for the percentage of new or enlarged lesions, representing interval progression of disease.

In none of the 507 images did the gadolinium-contrasted images reveal interval progression that was missed on the non-enhanced images.

It should be noted that In the 2018 guidelines published by the Consortium of MS Centers, MRI Protocol and Clinical Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Follow-Up of MS it clearly states that:

“MS GBCA is optional for: the follow-up monitoring of patients with MS to detect subclinical disease activity which could lead to a change in therapy, the use of GBCA may be helpful within the first two years of treatment onset but is not required because new T2MS lesions can be identified on well-performed MRI using a standardized protocol unless there is a large T2 lesion burden.”

This is good news given that non-contrasted scans reduce the risk of gadolinium-associated symptoms and accumulation and take less time to perform.

To read the study in it’s entirety click https://pubs.rsna.org/doi/10.1148/radiol.2019181568

Please join the growing list of advocates and sign our petition so we can help promote the development of safer alternatives and effective treatments to remove gadolinium from patients affected by it.